Sandra Fried, Executive Director of the Student Success Center

Sandra Fried, Executive Director of the Student Success Center, helps to coordinate success-focused initiatives and boost completion rates. Ms. Fried has more than 25 years of experience in higher education policy and advocacy. Prior to joining the Foundation in January 2017, Ms. Fried managed the University of California’s legislative operations in Sacramento, after serving for six years as the Chief Consultant of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, where she oversaw the Committee’s operations, analyzed legislation, managed committee hearings, negotiated policy issues and served as the Assembly’s lead staff person on higher education issues. She also served on the staffs of former Speaker Willie Brown and Assemblymember (now Congresswoman) Susan Davis, with a focus on higher education issues. Ms. Fried is a graduate of the University of California, Davis and former California Community College student.

Beth Kay, Director, Professional Development

Beth Kay, Director of Professional Development at the Success Center, has 20 years of experience in public high school start up and redesign, making her well positioned to lead the statewide professional development work of the Success Center. Ms. Kay has been with the Foundation since 2014 as a manager on the workforce development services team, and is now looking forward to the integrated complex work of supporting California Community College faculty staff and administrators with their professional development.

Ms. Kay previously worked with NAF as California Director and the Director of Operations for Charter Schools Development Center in California. From 2002-2007 Ms Kay served Sacramento City Unified School District as the founding principal of The Met Sacramento, an innovative small school, which is part of the Big Picture Learning network.

Prior to 2002, Ms. Kay was a high school science teacher and administrator in Massachusetts for nine years. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Benin, West Africa.

Ms. Kay is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Stacy Fisher, Senior Director, Policy Development

Stacy Fisher, Senior Director of Policy Development at the Success Center, has worked in higher education for over 20 years. She received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Davis where she specialized in California legislative politics and policy and research design/methodology. She was a faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno for 18 years where she served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Department Chair. After retiring in 2015, she came to the California Community College system to work in the Research Unit of the statewide Chancellor’s Office. While at the Chancellor's Office, Ms. Fisher produced a comparative analysis of state financial aid for community college students and used her research and analytic expertise to support the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative and a variety of other programs. She has been with the Foundation since April 2017.

Ms. Fisher has just completed her third book, a primer designed to help new social science students successfully navigate academic expectations in college. She is proud to have attended all three segments of higher education in California.